With so many beauty products on the market advertising new “wonder” anti-aging ingredients, it can be tempting to believe the personal-care products on our shelves should be complicated. But simple, natural and homemade beauty products can actually be just as effective at keeping our skin and hair radiant—without the potentially harmful additives.
The average woman encounters 168 chemical ingredients in her beauty regimen every day, while men encounter an average of 85, according to a 2005 survey of 2,300 adults by the Environmental Working Group. Many of these chemical ingredients have been linked to health problems ranging from weight gain to cancer risk. Nearly all of these ingredients can penetrate the skin, and some we even ingest directly from our lips or hands. To make matters worse, nearly 90 percent of the 10,500 chemicals available on the beauty market have never been evaluated for their health effects.
Making your own beauty products at home with simple, inexpensive ingredients allows you to know exactly what you’re putting on your skin. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, start with these six basic beauty recipes. Each recipe includes variations to customize the product to your needs.
6 Basic Homemade Beauty Products
• Homemade Hair Rinse recipe
• Basic Body Lotion recipe
• Homemade Perfume recipe
• Homemade Deodorant Cream recipe
• Homemade Facial Cleanser recipe
• Cocoa Butter Lip Balm recipe
Be informed: For a list of the top ingredients you should avoid in your personal-care products, read the article Top Ingredients to Avoid in Personal-Care Products.
